Communication Goes Both Ways
by Talia Ali
Summary: Brother Bear. A oneshot wrapping up the loose ends from the end of the first movie. Features Kenai, Denahi, and Koda fluff.


Disclaimer: All rights belong to Disney. I just snip off the loose ends.

I like it. It made me feel happy after finishing the movie.

**Communication Goes Both Ways**

_by Talia MT Ali_

"So this is your herd?" Koda asked.

Kenai looked out over the valley, smiling a little with the thought of his day. He sat on the edge of the cliff and rubbed his paw thoughtfully into the moss at his feet. There was still a little paint left on it from the ceremony. He didn't mind it, though, not with the fulfillment of everything he'd worked for behind him. Although that fulfillment wasn't exactly what he thought he had been looking for his entire childhood.

"This is my tribe. Or it was." Kenai's ears flicked as he heard his brother Denahi approach and come to sit next to him. Koda shifted slightly, still trying to adapt to the new idea of not running from the 'hunters'.

"It still is, isn't it?" Koda got to his feet and paced in front of Kenai and Denahi. "I mean, you're still a man and everything."

"I actually feel pretty much like a bear." Kenai said wryly. He laughed as the cub tackled him and sat on his chest.

"In here you're still one though." Koda thumped both his paws on Kenai's chest. Batting the youngster aside, the newly formed bear resumed his sitting position next to his older brother. Denahi laughed as Koda jumped again and landed on his little brother's head.

"He's pretty active, isn't he?" Denahi nudged Kenai's side. The bear was occupied with trying to remove his adopted brother from his face.

"You have no idea," Kenai said, but of course his brother couldn't understand him. He was pretty sure the man got the point though, because his grin widened.

"You're still one inside, aren't you Kenai?" Koda pressed, and he stilled, draped across Kenai's head and half of his face. The older bear took the opportunity to push the young one from his face onto the ground.

"I've decided, Koda, and this is what I am." Kenai told him. "There's a part of me that will always be here, but I'm ready to go with you."

"That wasn't the question," Koda complained, but he went to play with Denahi – gently. Kenai had to remind him that men weren't protected against claws. Even as he played, he talked. Mostly to Kenai, but partly to Denahi too. "It must have been interesting to be a hunter. Why don't hunters understand our language? Is it because you have your own? Sometimes there are bears that speak other languages at the salmon run, and mom used to say that they were from different parts of the forest. In fact, I knew a bear once, his name was Montego, and he talked really funny!"

Kenai mostly ignored Koda's words and instead opted to watch his natural brother tease his adopted brother with a long piece of grass. Denahi was obviously enjoying the game almost as much as Koda was, tickling the cub with the grass and pulling it out of reach the second Koda had his eye on it. The small bear caught something out of the corner of his eye and bounded off to the chase. Denahi watched him go with a smile on his face as the last of the sun disappeared under the horizon.

When the cub didn't reappear after a few seconds, Denahi dropped the grass and faced the horizon again, looking peaceful and happy. Kenai looked at him curiously before turning his attention back to the valley and dropping his head to his paws.

"You must be happy, finally becoming a man."

Kenai raised his head to ensure that his brother was entirely serious. The man watched him with a hint of mischief, so Kenai extravagantly rolled his eyes and put his head back down. It wouldn't do any good to make a smart retort anyway – a frustrating but anticipated consequence of staying a bear.

"I'd like to be able to talk with you for a few minutes, man to man, you know," Denahi commented. "First of all, I'd like to ask you what on earth you did to end up a bear."

Kenai snorted. His brother smiled.

"I thought it might be something like that."

Putting his head up on a paw, Kenai scratched with his claw in the dirt. Denahi leaned over to look as his little brother slowly scratched out a crude drawing of a bear and a man with a spear.

"So you did attack the bear?" The man asked. "And that's why Sitka turned you into one?"

Kenai made a few more marks and Denahi's eyes darkened in comprehension. He looked seriously at the bear who was his brother.

"That was stupid, killing your spirit totem."

"And it didn't help at all." Kenai said, forgetting for a moment in his grief that Denahi wouldn't understand. "Sitka was still gone and it was still my fault, just like you said."

Denahi reached out and smoothed the fur on Kenai's shoulder in a comforting gesture. He didn't understand the words, but he surely understood the meaning. They sat together in silence for a few moments, enjoying the last of the light.

"I should apologize now, I guess." Denahi said out of the blue. Kenai blinked and peered at his brother. "For chasing you and the cub everywhere and... for what I said to you before you went out hunting."

Shortly after Sitka's death, Denahi told him that he didn't blame the bear for Sitka's death. The implication in his eyes and his voice was that the blame lay on Kenai's shoulders, and it had played a large part in his decision to go after the bear, alone. Denahi looked at the horizon, and after a moment Kenai followed his gaze.

"It wasn't right for me to go throwing the blame around." Denahi continued, picking up a rock and tossing it over the cliff. "Especially since what happened to Sitka was something that could have happened to any of us. He chose to sacrifice himself for us. That was incredible, but we didn't want to see it at the time. We just saw his death. Does that make sense?"

"Yes," Kenai said, and when his brother looked over at him to confirm the response, he nodded. He looked at the ground beneath his paws and muttered, "It was still my fault, though."

"Stop that," Denahi said sharply, and the man-turned-bear raised his head. "If I know you, you're still blaming yourself about all of it. But think about it for a moment. We've lost a brother, it's true. But if Sitka hadn't... hadn't given himself up for us, you never would have become a man."

When Kenai raised his eyebrows skeptically, Denahi laughed and punched his shoulder. "At least, it would have taken years. How long would it have taken you as a man to learn to love?"

Kenai sighed. "Probably years."

Denahi continued, eyes sparkling. "And you never would have gotten... so _good_-looking." His brother bared his teeth at him and growled. The man just laughed and continued, "And you would be minus one hyperactive ball of fur."

His glance to behind Kenai was all the indication the new bear needed to throw himself to the ground. Koda screamed a battle-cry as he flew over top of Kenai. He landed bare inches away from the edge of the cliff. Kenai's eyes widened, and he lunged forward for the cub... just as said cub pivoted on a foot, oblivious to the danger he was in, and launched himself at Kenai's face.

"Scared ya? I scared ya! I can tell!" Koda stood on Kenai's neck and proclaimed, "I scared Kenai! I scared Kenai!"

"You... did not!" Kenai picked him up by the scruff of his neck and dumped the cub on the ground at his feet. "Denahi told me you were coming."

He jerked his head towards his brother, who was practically doubled up with laughter. Koda watched the man with open curiosity for a moment before grinning and wheeling on Kenai.

"He's laughing too hard to tell you!" Koda pranced in front of his adopted brother. "I scared ya!"

"You did not!" Kenai protested.

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too times a million!"

"Did not times a million and one!"

"Did t..."

"Oh, please, stop!" Denahi gasped. "I don't think I can take much more than this! Kenai, just agree with him. You know he's right!"

"See!" Koda pranced over to Denahi, head high and smirking at Kenai. "I win!"

"Just because he said..."

"And since he's older than you, you should listen to what he says." Koda said triumphantly. He seated himself at Denahi's feet.

"I'm older than _you_, so _you_ should listen to what _I_ say."

"He's older_er_ than you, so we should both listen to him!" Koda raised his head with a grin.

Kenai scowled at both of them. "Traitor," he muttered, not knowing which brother he was talking to.

Denahi's mouth pursed and he looked down at the cub. "Did he just call me a name?"

Koda's eyes widened and he nodded. They both shot nearly identical teasing scowls at Kenai, who backed up half a step by reflex.

"Aw, c'mon, guys..." he took a few steps toward them and smiled winningly. "You know I didn't mean it..."

"I think we should take ourselves elsewhere. What do you say, cub?" Denahi stood at Koda's second nod. They both turned on their tails and walked up the path, ignoring Kenai completely.

"Koda?" Kenai tentatively took a few steps after them. The cub ignored him. "Denahi?" Of course, the man didn't respond. He only hovered for a few moments in indecision before making up his mind. He bounded after the pair.

"Wait! Wait up! I'm sorry...!"

Thanks for reading!


End file.
